Jesus is Lord!

Philippians 2:8-10 reminds us that at the First Coming of Jesus, He humbled Himself and this greatly pleased the Father so that everyone will recognize Him as Lord one day:

Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. ⁹ For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, ¹⁰ so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, ¹¹ and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

-Mark (my knee and your knee will bow to the Lord Jesus Christ)

Happy Birthday, Shirley!

Quick thank you and happy birthday to the Lord’s faithful servant, Shirley, who is our Vice President and a wonderful teacher, biblical counselor, and leader!

Wish her a happy birthday today and remind her how much the Lord loves her!

We thank the Lord for you, Shirley, and appreciate your prayers, thoughtfulness, and “stick-to-it-ness” to fulfill the calling the Lord has given you!

-Mark (praising the Lord for Shirley and her parents who raised her right!)

Comment I heard recently…

“Anything I place in front of my recovery I will lose anyway.”

Really?

How about this statement instead: “Anything I place in front of Christ I will lose anyway.”

Recovery or Christ? Is recovery the god of the person who made the first statement above? Maybe. Recovery is certainly the most important “thing” in the person’s life! Our goal must not ONLY be to stay clean and sober (recovery) but our goal must be to glorify God with our lives and to live for Him alone!

You may be thinking I am splitting hairs over this but it’s important and an important distinction. The biblical word is transformation anyway – not recovery! God wants more than just recovery; He wants a transformation for the person struggling with an addiction. Praise God!

-Mark (wanting more than just sobriety; wanting to know Christ more deeply and wanting to glorify His Name!)

September is National “Recovery” Month – How about Nat’l Transformation Month instead!?!

It’s September which means one thing: it’s National Recovery Month!

While I like the word “recovery,” I love the biblical word, “transformation”, so much better because God wants more for the person struggling with an addiction!

II Cor. 3:18 and Romans 12:2 remind us that God wants to transform our minds by making us more Christ-like! His plan is fantastic and is more than just staying clean and sober! So let’s rename this month from what the world calls it and call it what God calls it: National Transformation Month.

Really, every month of the entire year is national transformation month because God is still in the business of transforming lives for His own glory!

-Mark (glad God is transforming me daily)

interesting quote about the church from…

Here is an excerpt from a well written letter from a source that might surprise you. Read it and then find out who this is at the end of the blog. The entire letter can be read at:

http://coursesa.matrix.msu.edu/~hst306/documents/letter.html

Addressed to “My Dear Fellow Clergymen:”

“…There was a time when the church was very powerful–in the time when
the early Christians rejoiced at being deemed worthy to suffer for what
they believed. In those days the church was not merely a thermometer that
recorded the ideas and principles of popular opinion; it was a thermostat
that transformed the mores of society. Whenever the early Christians
entered a town, the people in power became disturbed and immediately sought
to convict the Christians for being “disturbers of the peace” and “outside
agitators.”‘ But the Christians pressed on, in the conviction that they
were “a colony of heaven,” called to obey God rather than man. Small in
number, they were big in commitment. They were too God-intoxicated to be
“astronomically intimidated.” By their effort and example they brought an
end to such ancient evils as infanticide and gladiatorial contests. Things
are different now. So often the contemporary church is a weak, ineffectual
voice with an uncertain sound. So often it is an archdefender of the status
quo. Far from being disturbed by the presence of the church, the power
structure of the average community is consoled by the church’s silent–and
often even vocal–sanction of things as they are….” – This is an excerpt from Martin Luther King Jr’s letter from a Birmingham jail…written April 16, 1963.

Whether you like MLK or not, I think this excerpt from his letter could be applied to many issues today. Where is the church? Why do we allow the status quo without speaking out against what is wrong? Who are we trying to please: God or man? (Gal. 1:10). And more questions could be asked.

My thoughts are that following Jesus leads to an unwavering devotion to God to do what He has called you to do. It will look crazy to the world (I Cor. 1:18) and maybe even to church-going Christians but it is the only logical response to the words of Christ. How committed are you?

-Mark (thinking critically about the American church, of which I am a part)

June theme: Critical Thinking about American Church

In June, I want to challenge us to think about our churches in America versus the church we read about in the book of Acts. Where are they similar and where do they differ?

I couldn’t think of a fancy theme or anything that rhymes with June so this month is simply about the American church.

I love the local church and Jesus’ church will prevail over the gates of hell (Matt. 16:18). There is no stopping the body of Christ! So, let’s be sure that when we think critically to evaluate our American churches in June that we are NOT talking about the true body of Christ which is an unstoppable force!

-Mark (loving the local church and wanting to be honest about who we are and where we need to go)

Where does wisdom come from?

In the very first proverb, God sets the tone for the entire book with a purpose statement in verse 7: “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction.”

Do you fear the Lord?

If so, that is the very beginning of knowledge.

Fools (who say in their heart that there is no God according to Psalm 14:1) despise wisdom and instruction; in other words, they do not listen to advice! They do not heed warnings!

So, before you can even begin to dig into the knowledge and manifold wisdom of God, you must first fear Him. I heard a great preacher say that the fear of God is the fear that you might bring shame to His glorious reputation and Name by your sins; therefore, you would not choose to sin against God as a believer.

To fear God, one MUST be a Christian. No if’s and’s or but’s about it, you must be a Christian to fear the Lord God and to benefit from the manifold wisdom He offers in His Word.

So as we search through proverbs each day this month, the first thing to consider is: do you fear the Lord?

If so, then you will find wisdom more abundantly than silver and gold.

-Mark (“Lord, may I fear You above all other fears”)